Indochina Flavors - 15 Days

The tour is designed for the travelers who have limited amount of time for the holiday & vacation in Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, but would like to experience the panoramic view of Indochina landscapes and cultures. The tour also embarks the travelers on different culinary adventures to taste fine cuisine of each country of former Indochina.

The pace of the tour is moderate/easy; the tour activities include: river cruising, sea-cruising, culture-touring. Indochina Flavors cover the major tourist attractions of Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam and the scenic countryside of each country such as: Luang Prabang, Vientiane, Phnom Penh, Siem Reap (the Angkor Temples), Mekong Delta, Hoi An Ancient Town, Hue Imperial Citadel, the stunning Ha Long Bay and the charming Hanoi.

All hotels are carefully selected with convenient location for touring.

“Indochina Flavors is the complete picture of Indochina drawn by the natural beauty, the daily life and... the sensational cuisine.”

Boat cruise on Luang Phabang, in Cai Be – Vinh Long, on the Perfume River in Hue and on Ha Long Bay as indicated on the itinerary

Accommodations on twin-shared basis as indicated in the program;

Meals as indicated in the program;

All admission fees during guided times in the program;

What’s not included

Insurance of any types;

International airfares rather than those mentioned in the included services above;

International airport taxes;

Drinks or personal expenses;

Others not clearly specified in the inclusions

Day1 Arrival in Luang Prabang (no included meals)Arriving at Luang Prabang Airport, you will be welcomed by our tour guide and escorted to the city.

In the afternoon, we take a sightseeing tour of the sacred city of temples. We’ll start with Wat Visoun, the 16th century temple served as a small museum for religious artifacts; Wat Aham, the early 19th century temple, whose two guardian statutes at the gate represent two characters from the Ramayana – Hanuman, the Monkey God and a fierce Yaksa; Wat Xieng Thong, the 16th century temple which, more than any temples in Luang Prabang, epitomizes all the elegance and grace of Luang Prabang architecture; Phousi Hill, the 328 steps leads to the summit of Phousi hill which is the peak of Luang Prabang, from the top of Phousi Hill we can have the panoramic view of Luang Prabang and the vicinity.Overnight in Luang Phabang.

Luang Prabang was the first capital city of Lane Xang Kingdom, the center of religious life in Laos. The city has been claimed a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO (United Nations, Scientific and Cultural Organization).

Day2 Luang Prabang (B)Breakfast at the hotel.We’ll start our morning tour with an excursion (a few hours) by boat upstream the Mekong to the Pak Ou Cave which serves as a pilgrimage site for the local Budhhist communities. The cave overlooks the river with nice settings and is crammed with thousands of Budhha statue of all sizes.

Our Mekong River Cruise offers breathtaking natural scenery with green mountains and clear river. We’ll stop at Ban Muang Keo, a well-known village for Lao traditional rice whiskey (Lao-Khao) which can be tasted or taken away.

We arrive back at Luang Prabang in late afternoon, and continue our trip to Ban Xang Khong where traditional methods for making paper and Lao silk are still practiced. Overnight in Luang Prabang.

Day3 Luang Prabang - Vientiane (QV 101: 1120 - 1200) (B)Breakfast at the hotel.In the morning, we check out of the hotel and get our luggage into the vehicle. We'll visit the former Royal Palace, now the National Museum & Vat Sen. Then we’ll be transferred to the airport for our flight to Vientiane.

Arriving in Vientiane, meet our local tour guide and have a transfer to the city. We have some time for mid day break. In the afternoon, we’ll have a city tour of Vientiane including: Vat Sisaket with its thousands of miniature Buddha statues; Vat Prakeo; the That Luang Monument, Vientiane’s Arc de Triomphe - the Patouxai Monument.

In late afternoon, we’ll check into our Vietiane Hotel and enjoys the remainder of the day free at leisure. Having some stroll on the breezy Mekong River front is surely recommended. Overnight in Vientiane.

Day4 Vientiane - Phnom Penh (QV841: 1010-1150) (B)Breakfast at the hotel.We have free time at leisure until we transfer you back to Vientiane International Airport for your flight to Phnom Penh, The Kingdom of Cambodia. Arriving at Phnom Penh International Airport, meet our Cambodia tour guide and drive to the city. We have time for mid day break before touring this charming capital city.

Our afternoon tour starts with the National Museum, the Silver Pagoda, the Royal Palace and Wat Phnom where Phnom Penh got its name. We check into our hotel in late afternoon and enjoy free time at leisure. Overnight in Phnom Penh.

Day5 Phnom Penh - Siem Reap (FT 992: 0955-1040) (B)Breakfast at the hotel.You have free time at leisure until we transfer you back to Phnom Penh International Airport for your flight to Siem Reap, home of the legendary Angkor Temples.

Arriving at Siem Reap Airport, meet our tour guide and we’ll drive to Roulous Town where we tour the oldest monuments in the former Angkor area - Rouluos Temples: Preah Ko, Bakong and Lolei temples. In late afternoon, we'll climb Phnom Bakheng Hill for the spectacular sunset over Angkor Wat and the countryside. Overnight in Siem Reap.

Day6 Siem Reap (B)Breakfast at the hotel.Our morning tour starts with the temples in the South Gate of Angkor Thom, the famous Bayon, Baphoun, the Terrace of Elephants and Terrace of the Leper King.

In the afternoon, we travel back to the heyday of Angkor Empire with the unrivaled 12th century Angkor Wat. We’ll engage ourselves in the magical world of wats, stupas and the mesmerizing carvings of the Apsara Dancers. We’ll have time to discover the top level of Angkor Wat where we can have a panoramic picture of the whole fabled world. Overnight in Siem Reap.

Day7 Siem Reap - Sai Gon (VN826: 1330-1430) (B)

Breakfast at the hotel.Our morning tour brings us to Srah Srang, Banteay Kdei, Chau Say Tevoda, Thommanon, and the fabulous Ta Prohm Temple embraced by the roots of enormous big trees and gigantic creepers. After mid day break, we’ll be transferred back to Siem Reap International Airport for the flight to Ho Chi Minh City.

Arriving at Tan Son Nhat Airport, meet our Vietnam tour guide and drive to the city. In the afternoon, we’ll have a tour of the most dynamic city of Vietnam. Our tour brings us to the War Remnants Museum, The Cathedral, The General Post Office, The Municipal Theatre and the Central Ben Thanh Market, Binh Tay Market and the China town. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

Ho Chi Minh City formerly called Sai Gon sprawls its length along the Saigon River. With convenient transportation and location, Saigon has always been busy with trade and commerce for hundreds of years since its formation.

Saigon boasts its high rise buildings and luxurious hotels along the riverside. This area is particularly stunning at night when the city full of light can be viewed from a boat cruising on the Saigon River. There are also some rooftop bars and restaurants for you to watch Saigon at night from above.

Saigon is a city on the go, busy days and nights. It’s required no effort to find something to entertain ourselves while in Saigon. There are many pagodas, temples and museums in the city. Those who want to have more active experiences may like to get lost in the busy and exotic markets selling most of things on Earth, the numerous bars and sidewalk cafes always full of guests, smoke and music, or just take part in the traffics like nowhere else in the downtown area. If those things are not enough, then there are lots of parks and water parks around the city for you to get relaxed.

Day8 Sai Gon - Cai Be - Vinh Long – Sai Gon (B/L) Breakfast at the hotel.Today we travel to the verdant Mekong Delta with exotic river life style: all activities on the water of the Mekong River. We travel by car for 3 hours to Cai Be where we start our boat trip. The boat cruise brings us to the bustling floating market of Cai Be where we can bargain for fresh fruits ourselves. Then we will visit families on an island of the Mekong River with vanishing occupations such as pop-corn, rice-paper, candy and pottery making... Our lunch is served right in a bonsai garden amid tranquility. After that our tour brings us to an old house with traditional Vietnamese architecture and we’ll learn about agricultural works through the ancient tools used here in the past.

We disembark our boat at Vinh Long and rejoin our car for the trip back to Saigon. Arrive in Ho Chi Minh City in late afternoon; we’ll enjoy free time on our own. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

Breakfast at the hotel.Today we travel back in time to the Big War of Vietnam at Cu Chi. At Cu Chi, we’ll learn about the war as well as the life of the local people during the hard time. Here you’ll adore the human beings resilience once put to test.

Cu Chi Tunnel is a system of magical tunnels connecting one village to another and was built by the locals to accommodate the VC during the War. From Cu Chi, major attacks on Saigon were launched during the war, especially those of Tet Offensives of 1968 which shocked the whole World. Crawling our way in the narrow tunnel, you can't imagine that there was no map of the tunnels at the time. Those navigating in the tunnel in the past had to know the tunnel themselves or there had to be a guide, otherwise there were all kinds of traps everywhere in the tunnel awaiting...

The tunnel at the height stretched over 250 km had rudimentary hospitals, water wells, toilets, kitchens…which allowed the local fighters to remain underground for weeks. You can’t imagine that the locals had to dig the tunnels with their bare hand and shovel; they had to camouflage the soil dug out so that they wouldn’t be uncovered by their enemy… So much work done that now facing it and thinking back, the only thing we can say about the tunnel is magic: only magic could make it happen. Magical things have happened in Vietnam for thousand of years of history anyway. Many attempts to destroy the tunnels as well as annihilate the fighters including using tractors, toxic chemicals, bombs…but all came to failure.

Ater the tunnel, we'll travel back to Sai Gon Airport for the flight to Da Nang. Arriving at Da Nang Airport, welcomed by our local tour guide and driver and transferred to Hoi An. Free at leisure.Overnight in Hoi An.

Day10 Hoi An at leisure (B) Breakfast at the hotel.Enjoy full day at leisure in Hoi An. Only accommodation with breakfast is included.Overnight in Hoi An.

Hoi An was a famous trading port back to the 16 – 19th centuries. Hoi An was visited by merchants from China, Japan, Persia, Europe….at the times. Hoi An residents are composed of Vietnamese, Chinese. Hoi An’s architecture is the perfect combination of Vietnamese, Chinese and Japanese styles. Hoi An nowadays still retains the ambience of the old town dated back to the heyday which never fails to charm the visitors.

Apart from the cozy ancient town, Hoi An also offers the pristine white sand Cua Dai Beach which claimed one of the most charming beaches in the world. Hoi An has always been unforgettable memory of our dear travelers.

Day11 Hoi An - Hue (B)

Breakfast at the hotel.Our journey today brings us through the scenic country side of the Central Region with white sand on one side and green mountains on the other. We’ll stop at the top of Hai Van (Sea Cloud) Pass to get the panoramic view of the mountains and the sea. Our destination is Hue, the capital city of Vietnam from 1802 - 1945.

This afternoon, we’ll have a cruise through the heart of Hue on the scenic Perfume River to the Thien Mu Pagoda and King Tu Duc’s Tomb. The cruise offers breathtaking countryside scenery and some part of Vietnamese history. Our vehicle will transfer us back to your hotel from Kind Tu Duc's Tomb. Free time at leisure. Overnight in Hue.

Day12 Hue - Ha Noi (VN244: 1440-1550) (B)

Breakfast at the hotel.In the morning, we'll have a tour of the Ancient Citadel and the exotic Dong Ba Market on the Perfume River Bank. Then we’ll travel back to the hotel for some refreshment before transfering you to Phu Bai Airport for your flight to Ha Noi.

Arriving at Noi Bai Airport, our local tour guide will meet and escort you to the city. You have free time at leisure in the evening. Overnight in Hanoi.

Day13 Ha Noi – Ha Long Bay Junk Cruise (overnight on board) (B/L/D)

Breakfast at the hotel.We start at 08:30 A.M for the 3 hour drive (170 km) through the Red River delta, which offers plenty of chances for taking photos of Vietnamese farmers tilling the vast green paddy fields. At half way, we'll have a visit to a handicraft workshop with fine clothes, embroidered paintings, stone statuettes and all kinds of gems mined in Vietnam such as star rubies or sapphires... Our destination is the World Heritage Site of Ha Long Bay. The bay offers some 3000 mountain islands and islets towering in the Gulf of Tonkin in the East Vietnam Sea.

12.00 Arrive at waiting Café in Ha Long City. 12.45 Enjoy a Welcome drink upon embarking our junk13.00 The junk starts setting out13.30 Lunch is served as the cruise begins toward Bai Tu Long Bay The junk travel by the area where scenes of the famous film “Indochine” were shot. The cruise route offers spectacular landscape of towering mountains and islets such as Teapot Islet, Marker Islet, Fire Islet, Dove Islet. We make our way towards Ha Long Bay passing by Men’s head Islet, Tortoise Islet, Heaven Gate area. We'll a an opportunity to explore the Cave of Surprise and swim at the Titov beach or Soi Sim beach or another beach. 8.00 Cruise to Ho Dong Tien or Trong Cave and drop anchor for the night (weather permitting) 19.00 Dinner is served in the restaurant 21.00 Squid fishing program with the staff (weather permitting) Overnight onboard the junk in the wild of Ha Long Bay

Arriving back at Ha Noi, enjoy a brief tour of the city taking in the West Lake Area and the Old Quarter. Free at leisure.Overnight in Ha Noi.

Day15 Depart Ha Noi (B) Breakfast at the hotel.You have free time until we transfer you back to Noi Bai International Airport for your departure flight. Time to bid farewell to the beaming Vietnamese smiles. We trust you had a wonderful holiday in Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.